Although Sakura never mentioned it, Hayato's previous tardiness for their appointment was indeed quite excessive.
Even he felt a little uneasy about it.
So, even though he had a phone now to communicate, he still left home early.
When he arrived in Shibuya, it was still twenty minutes before the agreed time.
He went to the underground passage and bought a cup of Sunday-only green juice. He had originally thought about buying a scratch-off lottery ticket, but after glancing at the Fantasy Killer on his right wrist, he abandoned the idea.
Bad luck.
He leaned against the wall, sipping the rather unappetizing but cheap green juice—only a hundred yen—while idly observing his surroundings.
When you observe your surroundings, you are usually also being observed by them.
Many young women, middle-aged women, and elderly women's gazes drifted towards him, intentionally or unintentionally.
Some, upon making eye contact with him, quickly looked away shyly.
Those who were bolder would give him a wink or use seductive gazes.
Sometimes, men would also look at him.
The younger ones' eyes were full of jealousy: 『How can this guy be so handsome? If I were this handsome, would I still be in this pathetic state?』
The older ones, however, were full of disdain: 『What's the use of being handsome? What matters most is how much money you have in your pocket. Your 86 can only go uphill, but a Mercedes can climb a tree.』
Hayato ignored them all.
Being handsome was for people to look at; he had understood this from the moment he arrived on Central Avenue.
He lowered his gaze and looked at the impoverished TXT system interface.
The skills section:
『Iron Crotch EX』
『Swordsmanship Mastery EX』
Fantasy Killer
『Extraordinary Endurance』
The above four were all maxed out. As for the remaining two, Nonsense lv.5 and Strong Person's Gaze, they had both leveled up since he last checked a few days ago.
Nonsense lv.5: Most of what you say is worth believing』
Strong Person's Gaze lv.4: Stare at someone and they miscarry』
[Host—! Did you forget to draw a prize again? Beep, Ai-chan complains that she's like one of those pitiful characters who seem like the female lead at first glance but don't get a single appearance opportunity even after dozens of chapters.]
'Oh, you mean, the little yellow book?'
[Who! Anyway, draw draw draw! You haven't drawn a prize for the 'Goliath's Demise' quest you completed earlier! Beep, Ai-chan urged repeatedly, like a pitiful mother whose son has been married for years but still hasn't given her a grandchild.]
'I'm a DINK.'
[Who wants to know that! Ai-chan just wanted to make a metaphor, a metaphor! Beep, Ai-chan said, frustrated.]
'Just wait a moment.'
Ai-chan wants to remind the Host that there's no guaranteed drop mechanism for ten consecutive draws here! Even if you save up, you absolutely won't draw anything good! Pout, Ai-chan proudly puffed out her 36D chest.
'So what's there to be proud of if you can't draw anything good?'
"Uh... it... it seems so... Pout, Ai-chan is not only dejected, but little pearls are starting to well up in her eyes."
'Alright, alright, less talk, I'm going to start the lottery.'
"Okay! Pout, Ai-chan has perked up again and is ready at any moment!"
Just as Hayato was about to make a draw, a gentle call interrupted him.
"Hayato-kun~~"
He looked up and saw Sakura, dressed in casual clothes, jogging over from the direction of the Shibuya subway underpass.
Today, she wore a loose, long-sleeved T-shirt on top and nine-point jeans on the bottom.
From a general perspective, it was so plain that it had almost no feminine charm.
However, all of this depended on her face and figure.
Sakura's fair face was flushed from jogging, making her both cute and radiant.
Her slender waist and ample bosom swayed slightly, highlighting a unique charm.
'Ah, the lottery can wait a bit.' Hayato thought to himself.
"Hey! Ai-chan was first, Ai-chan was first... No, no, stop it..."
Hayato's mind scattered slightly, letting the system's voice completely disappear from his head.
Trailing behind Sakura were several men, seemingly ready to strike up a conversation with her at any moment.
After hearing Sakura call out to Hayato, they also looked in his direction.
Their gazes met.
Actually, Hayato's mood wasn't bad; in fact, the clear weather and refreshing breeze made him quite happy.
But among these trailing men, one had yellow hair, dark skin, and wore a Hawaiian shirt with the top three buttons unbuttoned, revealing a rather muscular chest.
How could Hayato tolerate such a sight!?
He immediately frowned, his eyes flashing.
The Strong Person's Gaze skill activated.
The trailing men all stopped in their tracks.
A thought of 'Holy crap, this guy's not to be messed with, he's handsome and fierce!' instantly formed in their minds.
The next moment, they dispersed on the spot and made a quick getaway.
"Hayato-kun, I-I'm sorry...!"
Sakura apologized while jogging.
Hayato checked the time on his phone; she had arrived ten minutes earlier than the agreed time.
She wasn't late at all.
"I-I got the time wrong." Sakura said with a deep bow.
"...Huh?"
Sakura only found out when she was about to get off the subway; at that time, Ayaka sent a message.
Ayaka: 'Sakura, have you arrived?'
Sakura: 'Mm, one more stop.'
Ayaka: 'Okay, actually, there was a small mistake on my end.'
Sakura suddenly felt a bad premonition: 'What?'
Ayaka: 'I accidentally bought the 10 AM tickets for 3 PM, gomen.'
Sakura: '...'
Ayaka: 'Sakura, why don't you and that guy have lunch together in Shibuya, have a good time, and then go see the movie~~'
Sakura's first thought was, Ayaka, was that an accident or on purpose?
But it was useless to dwell on such things.
What she needed to consider now was how to explain to Hayato-kun.
She couldn't even get such a small thing as ticket times right... Hayato-kun wouldn't think I'm that kind of casual woman, would he?
However, Sakura had no intention of exposing Ayaka; after all, she was the one who asked Ayaka for help, and the fault for this matter couldn't be entirely pushed onto her... Sakura was always very meticulous and adhered to rules.
The only thing she could think of was to apologize to Hayato-kun first, and then find a way to make amends.
Waaah... Hayato-kun is going to scold me. I originally thought that maybe today I could even hear Hayato-kun call me 'onee-san' a few times, but I didn't expect such a big oversight right from the start...
Sakura's heart pounded under her full left breast. She remained bowed, as if afraid of the impending punishment, tightly closing her beautiful almond eyes.
Casual woman, useless thing, no sense of time, utterly dissolute...
These words suddenly popped into Sakura's mind.
She was very scared, even trembling slightly, her knees uneasily rubbing together, and her body twisting a little.
"Is that so." Hayato said, stroking his chin: "Hmm... Although it's still early, do you want to go eat something together? I haven't had breakfast yet, and I'm a bit hungry."
Sakura looked up: "Eh?"